Currently, the government is trying to get support from leading companies, non-profits, and science and engineering societies. President Obama has started an organization called "Educate to Innovate" in order to get this support. Although these efforts are in place, many schools are not implementing STEM education, part of the reason being that many teachers are not prepared for such a program. Specifically, teachers at the elementary and middle school levels lack the experience and knowledge in the four categories of STEM. Another problems is that there is no set curriculum or standard for teaching. There is an effort to develop a voluntary curriculum, but it is still unclear exactly what STEM education should accomplish.
Even with this support, there are many budget constraints in getting this technological program into schools. Educate to Innovate has provided billions of dollars, but these constraints are on going. In order to have highly qualified teachers in these fields, school systems must be willing to pay for the labor as well as materials needed to enhance this learning. There are some companies who are partnering with schools to make this happen by provided the necessary supplies, such as laptops and computer software. Most people who would be prepared to integrate these four subjects in the classroom are practical scientists and engineers. There is a lack of motivation to teach when the salary is much lower and there is a teaching certificate requirement. Alternative and flexible teaching certificate programs need to be implemented to recruit highly qualified teachers. Some after school STEM programs are available to students, but this does not nearly cover the amount of students who should be prepared for future STEM careers.
Burke, L., & McNeil, J.B. (2011). “Educate to Innovate”: How the Obama Plan for STEM Education Falls Short. Retrieved from: http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2011/01/educate-to-innovate-how-the-obama-plan-for-stem-education-falls-short
Hays Blaine Lantz, Jr., Ed.D., (2009). Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education: What Form? What Function? Retrieved from: http://www.currtechintegrations.com/pdf/STEMEducationArticle.pdf
Whalen, D. (2010). STEM Literacy- Can The U.S Afford Not To Support It?
STEM Literacy- Can The U.S Afford Not To Support It? Retrieved from: http://www.examiner.com/k-12-in-hartford/stem-literacy-can-the-u-s-afford-not-to-support-it
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ReplyDeleteGiven the problems outlined in your post, it may make more sense to foster STEM Literacy programs at the high school level, initially. Overall, there are many examples of schools with math and science foundations at the secondary level. In Baltimore City alone, I know of several situations where STEM Literacy could be fostered. While this may not achieve the long term goals of the administration, it may get the ball rolling. As part of this, once the programs gain some traction at the secondary level it may be easier to find ways to work it down to the middle school level, and so on. It has to start somewhere, and 1st grade may not be the place.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, given the fact that teachers at the secondary level are content specific, it may be easier to train them in STEM Literacy. For instance, Physics, alone, encompasses engineering, math and science.
I am not sure if this is the direction your part would take, but it would be interesting to see if any of the federal money has made its way to places like Baltimore Polytechnic which emphasize a math and science education. Overall, they have been producing engineering majors for 100 years.
Ashley, I agree with you about school systems needing to be willing to pay for the teachers and supplies. I notice that a lot of school systems are focused on the technology aspect of STEM though. For instance we discuss having laptops and computers, but what about having basic lab materials such as gloves, beakers, and etc. To answer the question about what they need to do, my suggestion is that they should give the students opportunities to be able to experience more field experience. This can be quite expensive, but I believe that it would spark an interest in students. If you told me back in high school that within science class we could experience what it is to be a nurse or doctor by using interactive patients, I would of enjoyed going to class every day.
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